Deutsche Welle (English edition)
Russian mercenaries accused of rights violations in Central African Republic
In Central African Republic, the government relies heavily on Russian mercenaries and weaponry to fight rebels. UN experts are now accusing the Russians of gross human rights violations.
Security in the Central African Republic (CAR) comes at a heavy price. The government is still fighting different militia groups in many parts of the country, and attacks on civilians have become routine.
As a result, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Yet, around 12,000 UN blue helmet soldiers are supposed to stabilize the country and support the regular security forces, but the situation remains fragile.
It is no longer a secret that the government in the capital, Bangui, has solicited the services of Russian mercenaries to maintain security, albeit criticism.
UN experts recently reported "serious human rights violations" allegedly committed by Russian security companies — including mass shootings, arbitrary arrests, torture and attacks on civilian facilities.
Russia's low profile
Russia's Foreign Ministry replied with a statement when DW inquired about the report: "Military specialists from Russia are sent to the country as per the UN Security Council guidelines."
"Russian aid is being provided in line with the international community's general efforts to strengthen the Central African Republic's security structures," according to the statement.
The Kremlin officially gives the number of Russian military experts in CAR as 535. But according to press reports, the actual number is much higher. The Wagner Group alone, a private security company from Russia, employs over 1,000 people in CAR.
There are also other companies such as Sewa Security Services. They guard airports, ministries and are part of President Touadera's security detail.
Security as a business
Russia's Foreign Ministry has "no information on the total number of Russian citizens currently in the CAR." Citizens who "temporarily stay in the Central African Republic for business or tourist purposes" are not obliged to report to the Russian consulate.
"It is well known that the security companies are connected to the underworld and organized crime," Paul Stronski, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told DW. "They regard their use as a lucra
tive business, and their services are partly paid for with shares in gold and diamond mines."
"For Russia, the Central African Republic is part of its longterm strategy to expand its influence on the African continent. At the same time, the use of private mercenaries is seen as an inexpensive way of demonstrating Russia's global clout," Stronski said.
The elites in CAR are increasingly dependent on the Russian security companies. This partnership is not only about politics, but above all, also about economic interests. "CAR is not only rich in raw materials such as gold and diamonds, but it is also very interesting from a geostrategic point of view."
CAR-Russia friendship
CAR's cooperation with Russia goes back to the 1960s and 1970s, during the time of the Soviet Union. It was renewed in October 2017 when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with President Touadera in Sochi, Russia.
Two months later, Russia received an exemption from the United Nations, despite an existing arms embargo, to deliver weapons to the CAR. The weapons included Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, rocket launchers, and surface-to-air missiles.
In May 2018, Touadera traveled to Russia again and met with Putin. During their meeting, the two leaders quickly agreed on granting mining licenses to Russian companies in exchange for pacifying regions with gold, diamonds, and uranium deposits.
In July 2018, Putin sent the first Russian military advisers and mercenaries from the Wagner company to Bangui to secure the activities of Russian companies, train Central African soldiers and protect top government officials.
President Putin's 'ace card'
Russia was never a colonial power in Africa, which gives it a comparative advantage in achieving its goals on the continent. In the case of CAR, "Putin is a reliable partner. He protects the politicians in power and is clearly against the opposition. His position pleases those in power," Nina Bachkatov, a Russia expert and author of the blog "Inside Russia and Eurasia", told DW.
The Kremlin is also positioning itself as an opponent of France, Stronski said. Again, the card of "anti-imperialist Russia" is often played, unlike the former colonial power France. The core message: Russia — unlike France — has the necessary clout and
credibility to solve CAR's problems. Step by step, Putin's Russia is preparing to challenge the former colonial power for political and economic supremacy in CAR.
Russian diplomatic scandal
To achieve this goal, Russian government officials do not seem to shy away from unusual rhetoric. A few days before the UN expert group's report was published, the Russian ambassador in Bangui, Vladimir Titorenko, publicly threatened the rebel leader Francois Bozize with death. He said, "the former president should renounce the armed struggle; otherwise, he would be neutralized by the armed forces."
Serge Simon Bozanga, a spokesman for the rebel group CPC, lamented the excessive interference by a foreign diplomat in the internal affairs of CAR. And the president of the Central African League for Human Rights, Joseph Bindoumi, told DW that "the Russian ambassador has clearly exceeded his competencies as a foreign diplomat."
lem," he added.
Doubts over AstraZeneca COVID vaccine
Not everyone has a positive view of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine — the only jab that Bangladesh offers against COVID-19 at the moment.
Some people have decided not to take the vaccine, citing safety issues raised by several countries in recent weeks.
Shanu Arpita, a schoolteacher based in Dhaka, told DW that she doesn't consider the vaccine effective.
"I don't think the AstraZeneca shot will make any difference as I haven't seen any concrete evidence of its effectiveness," she said.
"The government has made the vaccine mandatory in some sectors. But ordinary people like me are not confident to take it, yet," she added.
Despite doubts about the vaccine's safety and efficacy, millions of people have registered online to receive a shot since the vaccination drive started in February.
So far, about 5.6 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while some 50,000 have received two shots.
India halts exports, Bangladesh fears disruption
To ensure that citizens would receive the jab as early as possible, Bangladesh signed a commercial deal with SII in 2020 to buy 30 million doses of the vaccine when ready.
According to the contract, Dhaka is supposed to get 5 million shots per month from January to June this year.
But it only received 7 million doses under the deal in the first two months of the year, according to data from India's Foreign Ministry. The other 3 million were donated by the Indian government.
Experts fear that Bangladesh's vaccination program could be severely disrupted by India's decision last month to halt the export of vaccines made by SII in order to prioritize domestic demand amid a sharp rise in cases.
It is not yet clear when SII will again be able to deliver the promised vaccine doses, but Bangladesh's government hopes to get them soon.
"We are in contact with India to get the vaccine doses that we have already paid for. Our prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, already spoke to India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, about it while he was in Dhaka last month," Farhad Hossain, Bangladesh's state minister for public administration, told DW.
"We still have vaccines in stock, and therefore, the vaccination program has been going on," he said, adding: "We are hopeful of getting new vaccines before the current stock runs out."
Bangladesh needs more sources of vaccine
Observers say it may not be possible for India to restart exporting vaccines anytime soon as the country is struggling to contain a new wave of infections.
India reported 184,372 new coronavirus cases and 1,027 related deaths over the past 24 hours, hitting the highest daily caseload once again. The country now accounts for one in every six daily new infections worldwide.
To meet domestic demand for vaccines, India's government has decided to fast-track emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines authorized by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of BioNTech-Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna doses.
Zafrullah Chowdhury, the founder of Bangladesh's Gonoshasthaya Kendra health center, which offers low-cost treatment to thousands of people, told DW that Dhaka had made a mistake by relying solely on one source for the COVID-19 vaccine.
"We had the opportunity to take vaccines from other countries, including Russia, but the government failed to act promptly to seize those chances," Chowdhury said.
"We have to take the initiative to produce the coronavirus vaccine locally to fulfill the growing demand. The government needs to work in that direction," he added.
Hossain, the state minister for public administration, said his government had been trying to get vaccines from other sources as it plans to vaccinate 80% of the population in the coming months.
"Until we achieve that target, we have to stay safe by wearing masks, maintaining social distance and washing hands regularly," he said.
Bangladesh has imposed a stricter lockdown for a week to curb the new virus surge, caused by the spread of the variant first detected in South Africa, which is considered much more infectious than many other variants worldwide.